林河没有丝毫犹豫，剑法流畅，斩断了凯尔斯的脖颈，转身离去，神态从容。
孟沉默默点头。
魔君开出的天价，足够林禾修炼到第五境，拒绝这样的天价，需要莫大的勇气，孟晨尊重他的决定。
普通人可能会说：夺取恶魔资源不是可以为人类节省一大笔钱吗？但他们没有意识到其中的利害关系。如果任由一个 SSS+ 级的恶魔天才成长，那么造成的损失将远远超过任何短期收益。林和的选择在保护人类的同时，也给恶魔带来了毁灭性的打击。然而，除了恶魔本身，没有人比林和损失更大。恶魔为凯尔斯的生命提供了巨额赎金，但人类永远不会给予他同等的回报。人们会得到一些认可，但没有什么能与恶魔的赏金相提并论。
这就是境界之间的差距。
恶魔世界以氏族为基础的城邦制度运作。尽管内部四分五裂，但各派系都服从恶魔之王的命令。在这种等级制度下，普通恶魔饱受苦难，而强大的氏族和城邦则积累了巨额财富——这些财富使他们能够支付高昂的赎金。相比之下，人类优先考虑集体福利：全民繁荣与和平。恶魔的财富只养活了 2% 的精英，而人类的财富则由所有人分享。
人类给予林河的资源，和魔界给予凯尔斯的相比，简直是小巫见大巫，但这已经是人类的极限了，人类统治了三千年，魔界统治了万古，根基是无法比拟的。
所以，林鹤虽然选择了财富，却没有选择原则，这也无可厚非，但他选择了原则，而不是财富，这才是真正的君主之风。
林河平静的问道：“我的战争转化率，在当代无限级修士中，是最高的吧？”
孟晨看了一眼数据，皱眉道：“180%，超过了关帝天的177%，不过，另外一个人的战争转化率，却是326%。”
林禾猛地抬起头，目光如刀锋，“谁？”
“别跟他比了。”孟晨摇头，“他从小就用超凡级进化丹，分母比你低。”
Lin He frowned. “No one sought to cultivate him with Infinite-tier resources?”
“He refused,” Meng Chen said with a faint smile.
“Why?” Lin He’s confusion deepened. “Is he… unwell?”
For an Infinite-tier talent to reject Infinite-tier resources—thereby limiting his future potential—defied reason.
Meng Chen chuckled. “Aren’t you equally unorthodox?” His eyes dropped to Lin He’s hands, scarred and calloused, a testament to relentless training. “You’d rather endure this than wield a sword? You’re crippling your own path. It’s not too te to change.”
Lin He shook his head in silence.
After a moment, he asked, “What is the name of the one with 300% War Conversion?”
“Li An,” Meng Chen answered gravely. “One of your greatest future rivals.”
“Is that so?” Lin He smirked, a chilling edge to his smile.
Suddenly, he recalled something. “Today, I passed through Tianshui City. There was a girl… her body contained an immense reservoir of icy energy. She was formidable. Why have I never heard of her?”
Meng Chen’s expression tightened. “Do not inquire further about her. Your paths may never cross. However, Li An is always by her side—did you notice him?”
“By her side?” Lin He frowned, struggling to recall. “Was there someone there? I… cannot remember.”
The Next Morning
Today marked Tianshui High’s graduation ceremony and the registration deadline for the Super High School League. Neither concerned Li An. He skipped ceremonies—he’d never attended school—and the principal would handle his league registration.
Today, he had one task: break through to the next realm.
Three vials of Infinite-tier evolution elixir glinted before him. Li An felt like he could ascend to the heavens just by looking at them. Grinning wildly, he bolted upright in bed.
“Haa…” He exhaled slowly, wincing as yesterday’s overexertion fred in his muscles. No matter—healing was trivial for a triple-path cultivator. Channeling source energy into water elements, he cast a healing spell. Soothing energy flooded his body, mending aches as water swirled around him. The remaining droplets brushed his teeth and rinsed his face.
Suddenly, he froze.
Where’s Shuangxue?
She should have been perched at his bedside. Yet the room held no trace of her. Gone?
Noticing a note on the nightstand, Li An picked it up while brushing his teeth. The scrawl read: “Gone to practice punches.”
No talent for calligraphy, he mused, descending to the basement. Before reaching the bottom, he heard the rhythmic thud of fists against a training dummy.
He gaped at the scene.
Shuangxue’s cheeks glowed pink, her breaths heavy though sweat had yet to form.
“You’ve been training all night?!”
“Yes. Why?” She turned, her smile like dawn’s first light—radiant enough to stagger him.
“Right… you don’t sleep.” He approached, pressing a hand to her forehead.
33°C.
His eyes then caught the wastebasket overflowing with blood-streaked tissues. Need to buy her blood-nourishing supplements, he noted.
他突然想到：“既然你的体温在升高，你现在能吃熟食吗？”
她的眼睛亮了起来。“哦！也许吧！”
李安立刻叫外卖，五分钟后，一碗热气腾腾的面条端上来，鸭血、猪血、牛肚、肥牛腩，香味诱人地飘来。
双雪僵硬地坐在碗前，紧张的姿势让她无法动弹。这可能是她第一次尝到煮熟的食物。以前，如果强迫她吃，她每小时都会吐血——用痛苦换取短暂的快乐。她的父亲宁愿自己被冰封，宁愿忍受严寒，也不愿看她受苦，所以推迟了这一刻。
或许是多年前他遇到的那位神秘人类守护者策划了这一切，李安沉思道。在她十八岁的时候把她送给我……
霜雪试探性地举起筷子，李安笑了。今天不只是一次突破，更是一次解冻。
